1. Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to unloading poultry, especially larger birds such as turkeys, and more particularly to unloading and processing poultry without the need of a full lift by the workers unloading the poultry.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The unloading of poultry is a very strenuous and labor intensive job. Typically, poultry is delivered to the processing plant in a plurality of coops that are loaded on a trailer bed. The trailer bed is usually positioned in a processing plant and the top row of coops are unloaded. This is done by the manual process of the workers reaching into the coops, pulling the birds out by their feet, and lifting and hanging the birds in shackles. The shackles then automatically deliver the poultry to the rest of the plant for processing. The entire trailer bed is then indexed upward and the next level of coops is able to be unloaded in a similar fashion.
For larger birds, such as turkeys, the weight of the birds can be in the 40-45 pound range. The unloading process subjects the workers to a risk of injury. In addition, it is a stressful time for the poultry and the poultry may be injured in this unloading process. Still further, as the poultry is being transferred by shackles, they are subject to further distress.
The poultry are then typically subjected to a stunning and killing operation. There have been several methods of stunning poultry with CO.sub.2. Examples of these are U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,152,714 and 5,435,776. However, in the case of U.S. Pat. No. 5,435,776, the birds were still shackled prior to being subject to CO.sub.2. U.S. Pat. No. 5,152,714 describes sending the broilers through in crates. However, broilers are typically substantially smaller than larger birds such as turkeys. Further, the patent discloses only a batch process and not a continuous manufacturing process.
The present invention addresses problems associated with prior art devices and provides for a method and apparatus for unloading and processing poultry without the necessity of full lift. The invention includes a method and apparatus for unloading the poultry without lifting the poultry out of coops. Further, a unique CO.sub.2 recycling system is utilized for the stunning of the poultry.